tonyot Posted October 4, 2015 Share Posted October 4, 2015 Hello Folks, Does anybody have any photos of the Short Skyvan or Skyvan`s that have been used by 1 PTS at RAF Brize Norton/ Weston upon Green since the sad demise of the old Barrage Balloon in the 1990`s? I believe that they are civilian contract aircraft from Hunting or some other firm. Cheers Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard E Posted October 4, 2015 Share Posted October 4, 2015 If the two aircraft are G-BEOL and G-PIGY I've got couple of pictures from this year's Royal International Air Tattoo - I'll try to look them out later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huvut76g7gbbui7 Posted October 4, 2015 Share Posted October 4, 2015 Interesting pair. G-PIGY is ex Mauritanian AF and G-BEOL is ex Japanese Coastguard. Lots of pics if you Google the regs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob P Posted October 4, 2015 Share Posted October 4, 2015 Were they re-engined, or just new 5 blade props? Interesting subject. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard E Posted October 4, 2015 Share Posted October 4, 2015 (edited) G-BEOL G-PIGY Edited October 4, 2015 by Richard E 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul J Posted October 4, 2015 Share Posted October 4, 2015 G-PIGY seems to be in a new paint job from when I first saw it at Shoreham Airshow in 2013 It had a white scheme with briad blue cheatline. And a strange contraption aft of the tailplane which I presume is to stop the static lines from fouling the elevators and rudders. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bordfunker Posted October 4, 2015 Share Posted October 4, 2015 I was coming home from work on Friday past Jct 9 of the M40, and one this pair was on final approach to Weston on the Green. Appears to be in an all white scheme now. Karl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyot Posted October 4, 2015 Author Share Posted October 4, 2015 Cheers folks, Thanks for your replies and I really appreciate your photos Richard. I had thought that they wore an overall blue scheme with a white cheatline or overall white with a blue cheatline so the overall green was a shock,..as were the 5 bladed props! Is that an 18 Sqn insignia on the fuselage or a company logo? Thanks again, Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vince14 Posted October 4, 2015 Share Posted October 4, 2015 I was coming home from work on Friday past Jct 9 of the M40, and one this pair was on final approach to Weston on the Green. Appears to be in an all white scheme now. Karl I'll second that - in fact, I've only ever seen white/white with blue Skyvans over Weston. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flankerman Posted October 4, 2015 Share Posted October 4, 2015 G-BEOL was at Duxford today - in a sortie with the Vulcan. http://forum.keypublishing.com/showthread.php?133294-Duxford-Diary-%282015%29/page79- scroll down to post #2345 Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard E Posted October 4, 2015 Share Posted October 4, 2015 (edited) Hmmm maybe something of a mystery then, I wonder if these are the only Skyvans currently on the UK register or operating in the UK? Cheers folks, Thanks for your replies and I really appreciate your photos Richard. I had thought that they wore an overall blue scheme with a white cheatline or overall white with a blue cheatline so the overall green was a shock,..as were the 5 bladed props! Is that an 18 Sqn insignia on the fuselage or a company logo? Thanks again, Tony The two aircraft are apparently operated by Invicta Aviation so the insignia on the fuselage may be a company logo based on the horse design on Kent's county shield - curiously I can't find a website for the company. G-PIGY seems to be in a new paint job from when I first saw it at Shoreham Airshow in 2013 It had a white scheme with briad blue cheatline. And a strange contraption aft of the tailplane which I presume is to stop the static lines from fouling the elevators and rudders. Previously both aircraft did have blue and white colour schemes and they are still fitted with their "strange contraption" - it looks a bit like a football net - but it's lost in the background in the smaller pictures I've posted. Edited October 4, 2015 by Richard E Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flankerman Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 The two aircraft are apparently operated by Invicta Aviation so the insignia on the fuselage may be a company logo based on the horse design on Kent's county shield - curiously I can't find a website for the company. I took a couple of photos of G-BEOL at Fairford - I can zoom in on the logo if you need it ??? (isn't digital wonderful?) Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 I used to fly the BN2.T Turbine Islander for the Joint Services Parachute Association in Bad Lippspringe many years ago, here's what we operated then: But a frequent summer visitor to the DZ was this dutch registered Skyvan... Decals anyone??! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aeronut Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 The 'strange contraption' is indeed intended to stop the static line and deployment bags from fouling the elevators. When initially tested some bags managed to pass through the bar rather than under it and wrap themselves around the bar and so part of a top net from a One Ton Container stores load was laced into place to fill the hole but allow air through, this lash up worked and became standard. The introduction of the Skyvan to UK military para training resulted in the introduction of the SLES (static line extension strop). Early trials with the Skyvan involved the despatch of a dummy representing a hung up parachutist who would be recovered by means of an additional parachute, the HUPRA (Hung up Parachutist Rescue Apparatus). When the dummy was despatched the jolt as it came to the end of the static line was such the aircraft's anchor cable broke with the result that the dummy missed the drop zone! Realising that this would be a more than embarrassing if it happened for real another idea used on heavy drop loads (Ply tear webbing) was adapted and turned into the SLES. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Fleming Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 (edited) One was painted green for a film role in KIingsman. They liked the ascheme that much they kept it in that scheme and repainted the second one. The horse is an Invicta logo, but neatly doubled up as a 'marking' for the film. The 5 bladed props were fitted early 2007 Edited October 5, 2015 by Dave Fleming Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eng Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 This wee machine passed through Glasgow a couple of months ago. I read somewhere that it was being used for parachute training somewhere in the UK and being rotated with another machine already in the UK, but I'll be damned if I can find the article again. http://flysummitair.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/skyvan1-960x450.jpg Eng Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julien Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 curiously I can't find a website for the company.Not much out there for them at all. From companies house they have been going 17 years, address seems to be a private residence in Kent? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Fleming Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 They took over the parachuting contract from Babcock, and prior to that Hunting Aviation. Babcock & Hunting had previously used another Skyvan alongside G-PIGY, G-BVXW, which was an ex-Argetninean Coastguard example! It and G-PIGY carried identical colour schemes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Brown Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 Usually see one of them at either Shobdon or Wellesbourne. Never seen them in green though. Hmmm, must have some pictures somewhere, but it appears they change livery quite often! Rick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Radleigh Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 (edited) This wee machine passed through Glasgow a couple of months ago. I read somewhere that it was being used for parachute training somewhere in the UK and being rotated with another machine already in the UK, but I'll be damned if I can find the article again. http://flysummitair.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/skyvan1-960x450.jpg Eng BEOL & PIGY are still green as they were painted for some film work and never went back to their original colours, There are two Summit Skyvans over here at the moment (same as this one in the link above), one is based at Brize for a short while, no one knows how long...not sure on the other one but it's somewhere... I'll do some digging.. Fwiw, here is C-GKOA seen arriving at Brize Norton (a friends photo) C-GKOA Short SC-7 Skyvan Summit Air by Chris Chennell, on Flickr Edited October 5, 2015 by Radleigh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noelh Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 I worked for Hunting for the best year of my aviation life. Didn't know they operated skydive aircraft. Long gone now but I still have the uniform. The skyvan is a very interesting aircraft much beloved in the skydive world for obvious reasons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyot Posted October 6, 2015 Author Share Posted October 6, 2015 Thanks for the extra info folks and that Dutch Skyvan is almost as mad as the bloke sitting on the roof! I`ve never jumped Skyvan as it was still the dear departed Balloon back in my day which certainly separated the men from the boys! We had quite a few foreign paras fail to jump from the balloon, even some who had done hundreds of aircraft jumps! I did hear `back in the day' that Hunting had got the Skyvan contract so cheers for confirming that too, Cheers Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Radleigh Posted October 6, 2015 Share Posted October 6, 2015 (edited) But a frequent summer visitor to the DZ was this dutch registered Skyvan... Decals anyone??! FYI It's Austrian, OE-FDN, Edited October 6, 2015 by Radleigh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flankerman Posted October 6, 2015 Share Posted October 6, 2015 I`ve never jumped Skyvan as it was still the dear departed Balloon back in my day which certainly separated the men from the boys! We had quite a few foreign paras fail to jump from the balloon, even some who had done hundreds of aircraft jumps! I used to work as a Civil Servant in the MOD at RAF Hullavington and used to see the tethered balloons most days - in fact I just missed out on the chance for an ascent (not to jump you understand ) I can remember a TV documentary about the Paras - which followed a group from basic training at Abingdon(?) via Hullavington to a 'live' drop from a Herc off the Dorset coast. One of the Paras missed the balloon part of the course due to illness - he later did the qualifying jump from the Herc, no problems, but when he went back to do the compulsary jump from the balloon, he bottled out and failed the course IIRC. He described the jump from the Herc as like running through a doorway and launching into space - easy peasy - but the jump from the balloon was much more clinical - like standing on a ledge on a tall building and calmly stepping off......... You have my admiration. Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darwinism Posted October 9, 2015 Share Posted October 9, 2015 I did my first jump out of a Skyvan - glad the balloons had gone by then! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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